


To The Beat of My Heart

by HarmonizingHollstein



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Background SeaDevil, Background WickedWolf, F/F, background Snowing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-06 12:59:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8752540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarmonizingHollstein/pseuds/HarmonizingHollstein
Summary: "The day Elliot Gold decided to expand his already vast media empire, was the day he decided to ruin Emma Swan's life."Emma's band, The Royals, are forced to go on tour along side their biggest rivals, The Queens of Darkness, led by none other than Regina Mills. With nothing but the open road and time, sparks begin to fly as the bands push their pasts to the side and enemies become family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my amazing cheerleader Skye for giving me all the encouragement and motivation I needed to write, and helping me clean up this fic. Please go check out lego-femslash on tumblr for some amazing art inspired by this fic. This has been a wild ride, and I hope you enjoy the outcome!

Silence. The room was almost completely silent except for the constant ticking of the grandfather clock, sitting in the corner out of place amongst the modern, businesslike furniture. For a room filled with such musically inclined people, the lack of noise between the group was a bit ironic. The Royals and The Queens of Darkness, arguably the most talented bands in the world with one of the biggest rivalries the music industry had ever seen, sat opposite of one another, at a large round table, sharing looks of disgust and annoyance. Their managers stood away from the table, alternating between shooting worried glances at their clients and the door. Once upon a time, The Royals and The Queens of Darkness would not have been caught dead in the same room having been owned by two competing record labels, but due to the ambitions of one multimillionaire, their old companies had been bought out and merged, bringing the bands closer than they ever cared to be. Right as the clock struck four, the doors to the room opened and in walked the man himself, the CEO to the newly founded Enchanted Forest Record label, Elliot Gold. While not big in stature, the CEO had a certain air of authority around him that made it clear he was not a man to be messed with.

Taking a moment to look every person in the eye, the intimidating man smiled before addressing his new employees. 

“Hello everyone, as you all already know, in buying out your little record labels I also bought the rights to your contracts, making me your new boss.”

The bands began to look uneasy, unnerved by the business man’s tone. 

“Now what you do not know, what I have brought you all here to discuss, is your tour.”

“Now just wait a minute Gold,” Cora Mills, the manager for The Queens of Darkness, spoke up, “I don’t think it’s a very good idea to discuss my clients’ business with our main competitors in the same room.”

The Royals’ manager, Granny Lucas, nodded in agreement, “If you want to talk with us about anything, you’ll do it separately or not at all.”

Gold smiled, “That’s just it, this is not just about you anymore, it’s about money. All this competition might have been good for business before, but now that I own both of you it would benefit me if my star musicians didn’t spend every interview trashing one another.”

“Is that all you want?” the lead singer of The Queens of Darkness rolled her dark eyes, “fine, we won’t say anything that could hurt the idiot clan’s sparkling reputation, or what's left of it anyway.”

“We’re not the ones with a bad image, or did you forget the name of your band Regina?” the drummer of The Royals shot back.

Regina glared at the blonde girl, “If I were you I’d shut my mouth, or do you forget what a black eye feels like?”

“Now ladies,” Mr. Gold interrupted before any other threats could be made, “this is exactly what I’m talking about. This dispute between all of you splits the customer base in half, which splits the amount of money I make in half, which makes me a very unhappy man. Now none of you want to make me unhappy, so you will do what I say when I say, understood?”

The young adults all nodded silently, too scared to upset the powerful man in front of them.

“Good, now here is what is going to happen. First, you will all stop this foolish rivalry and hold yourselves to a higher standard. Second, you will start to acknowledge one another’s talent and give praise when asked about each other in interviews. Third, you will clear your schedules for the foreseeable future because all of you will be spending this summer touring together. Failure to follow any of my rules will result in a termination of your contracts. I suggest you all get to know each other a little better because your first joint interview is this Friday at two.”

With a final nod of certainty, Gold turned on his heels and walked out the door he came in through, leaving the bands speechless, too shocked to say anything.

“Well,” Granny finally broke the several minute silence, “I guess we’ll be spending a hell of a lot more time together now.”

* * *

_Three Years Earlier_

Excitement was buzzing in the air as two bands sat on separate sides of a theater, wishing and praying for the same thing. Though the night was almost over, the most exciting part was yet to come. The last award of the night was the coveted Best New Artist award. While there were four bands nominated for the award, The Royals and The Queens of Darkness were the ones considered most likely to win. Coming from different backgrounds, the only things the two bands had in common were their incredible talent and dedicated fanbases.

The Royals’ story of fame and fortune was something out of a fairytale. A small town high school band who was discovered by chance at a local talent show, and thrust into the spotlight. Within a year of being discovered they had a full album recorded and were touring all around the world.

 The Queens of Darkness had a very different beginning from their competitors. Their band started as a two-person feature in the Mills garage and soon expanded to a full, five-piece band. Their ascent into stardom was a slow steady climb, and it wasn’t until two years of playing in malls and local events that they finally had the resources to record their own album.

 If The Royals’ story was a wishful fairytale, then The Queens of Darkness’ story was a parable about the outcome of hard work and ambition. Now, as the night drew to an end, these two stories were about to collide in a way no one had ever thought they would.

 “And now,” the show’s host spoke into the microphone causing a hush to fall over the crowd, “the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The winner of the Best New Artist award is… The Royals!”

 Thunderous applause filled the room as the cameras panned to two groups of people. On one screen was the joyful faces of the winners as they jumped up in surprise and made their way to the stage, stopping only to hug one another and their manager. On the other screen was the humbled faces of The Queens of Darkness, clapping and smiling graciously for their fellow musicians.

After a long night of celebrating, The Royals gathered together in their manager’s hotel room for a breakfast of champions. All four band members and their manager filled their plates and carried it over to the couch. With the t.v. playing lowly in the background, the group enjoyed their breakfast while chatting about their fantastic night.

“Hey!” the band’s bass player yanked her plate into the air, “get your own food Emma!”

The blonde smiled, “Aww come on Rubs, just give me one sausage, between you and David there’s none left.”

“Well you know what they say Em, ya snooze ya loose. Maybe next time wake up when the rest of us do huh.”

“Oh bite me, I was up later than the rest of you nerds.”

“Who you callin’ a nerd, dork.”

“Dweeb.”

“Loser.”

“Lame ass.”

“Smart ass.”

“Dumb a-” Emma stopped speaking when a sausage link was shoved at her.

“Here,” Mary Margaret waved a link in her face, “just have one of David’s.”

Emma smiled triumphantly and took a bite out of the sausage as Ruby stuck her tongue out at her bandmate and David pouted over the loss of his food. Granny rolled her eyes fondly at the teens’ antics before the scene on the t.v. caught her attention, The Queens of Darkness were being interviewed.

“Everyone hush now,” Granny ordered as she turned the volume up, “I want to hear what they’re talking about.”

_“Now, last night you were up against The Royals for the Best New Artist award, and I have to ask, is there any sort of animosity between your two groups about the outcome?” the brunette reporter flashed an inauthentic smile at the band in front of her._

_The band’s guitar player spoke up, “Of course not. The Royals are a very talented group of people who fully deserved to win. I think we’re all just glad to have been considered, because at the end of the day it’s not about how many awards you win, or what bands you beat, it’s about the love for the music, and it just matters that we're connecting with our fans.”_

_“I agree with Mal,” Zelena piped in, “and I think The Royals would feel the same way if they were in our position.”_

_“Is that so?” the interview asked, “because we actually have an exclusive interview with the lead singer of The Royals who had some very interesting things to say about you.”_

_The screen switched to a clip from the night before, with the same interviewer and Mary Margaret still in her award show dress._

_“Congratulations on your big win tonight. Tell me, were you surprised about the win, or did you expect to beat out your competitors?”_

_Cheeks flushed with excitement, the singer smiled, “You know, we’re still so new to this whole thing, and this was the very first award we’ve ever been nominated for, but I had a really good feeling about tonight.”_

_“So, you did expect to win?”_

_“Well, what can I say, good always wins.”_

_The scene cut back to The Queens of Darkness, smiles gone from their faces and a colder air filled the room. Cruella and Ursula, who were leaning on one another, slouched into comfortable positions now sat straight up with rigid backs. Zelena and Mal sat with clenched jaws and fists, trying to hold back their anger. Regina swallowed down a ball of anger, a murderous look in her eyes._

_“It looks to me like maybe The Royals don’t feel the same way,” the interviewer said breaking the silence._

_Regina cleared her throat, “Well clearly their band does not possess the ability to be professional, but if they want to be honest, I don’t see a reason why we can’t be too.”_

_The interviewer smirked._

_“The Royals don’t know the definition of hard work, and will most likely be a one hit wonder.” Regina shrugged, as if her statement was just a fact of life._

_The interviewer turned towards the camera smiling, “There you have it folks, the royal feud of the century. Tune in next week when we interview the loser of America’s Got Talent.”_

Everyone turned to look at Mary Margaret.

“What,” Granny asked, “did you do?”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I was just trying to make a joke, because we’re The Royals and they're The Queens of Darkness, ya know?”

Ruby threw her arm around her friend, “I’m sure you didn’t mean it, but I don’t think they got the memo. I mean, they didn’t even hesitate to talk crap about us.”

“Yeah,” David chimed in, “one little offhand comment doesn’t mean they can just talk us down like that. We have worked hard to get where we are, they don’t know us.”

Emma rubbed her hands together, “If it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight they’ll get.”

* * *

A week after their meeting with Gold, The Royals and The Queens of Darkness found themselves together again, being interviewed by the same reporter who was not only there when their infamous feud began, but seemed to be there anytime fighting was reported between the two bands. She was the type of reporter who made a name for herself solely on the misfortune and miscommunication of the people she interviewed. To say the least, neither of the bands were thrilled to discover she would be the one conducting their first joint interview.

The reporter sat across from a couch with five chairs behind it, looking through her notes as a makeup artist finished working on her face. The two bands walked in from opposite sides of the studio, making their way to their seats with their best professional faces. The Royals squeezed in on the couch as The Queens of Darkness took their seats behind their enemies. Getting the thumbs up from her cameraman, the reporter put her notes down and flashed a plastic smile at the camera.

“Hello, I’m Lucy Blue and today I’m sitting down with The Royals and The Queens of Darkness to talk about their newly joined record label. Welcome everyone, I’m glad you could all be here today. Now, let’s jump right in. Both of your record labels were recently bought by Elliot Gold. How are you feeling about this transition?”

Marry Margaret opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Regina said, “First off, I just want to say thank you for having us, it’s always a pleasure to see you. This transition has been a good thing for us. While we loved our old label, and owe them our careers, the chance to work with a brilliant businessman like Mr. Gold is something that most artists only dream of.”

Zelena nodded in agreement, “And I do believe with his help we can become something greater than we already are.”

The reporter shuffled through her papers, “I see, so what about all of you being under the same label? I know in the past you have had your… differences.”

“All that nonsense is behind us,” Snow rushed to say before Regina could beat her to the punch again.

“Oh really? Because just last week, David retweeted a picture of your bands with the captions ‘Chanel vs. Walmart’, and the week before that Ursula and Cruella were caught on camera mocking your band’s latest single, and-”

“I think what Mary Margaret means,” Regina cut in throwing a withering look at the girl in question, “is that while, yes we have had a bumpy past with one another, we have all grown up in the last few years and are completely capable and happy to work with one another. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we’re here today.”

“Oh, do tell.”

“We’d like to announce our summer tour.  For twelve weeks, from May to August, our two bands will be touring together at select venues around the world. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at seven eastern standard time and can be bought from both of our official websites, so be on the lookout before they run out.”

“Well,” the reporter turned back to the camera with raised eyebrows, “you heard it here first, rivals turned touring buddies, The Royals and The Queens of Darkness are joining forces, for what will surely be an event to end all others. Tune in tomorrow when I sit down with the cast of Happy Ever After."

* * *

Tonight was the night. After a month of press, separate press after their less than stellar first interview, and a week of disastrous rehearsals, The Royals and The Queens of Darkness were finally starting their tour together. Gold had been very adamant that their tour be a complete team effort, something that really showed the public that they were no longer enemies. The set for the show was simple; both bands would open the show together with a cover chosen by one lucky fan before the show, then alternate between playing their own original songs, and end the show with any song they wanted, as long as they performed it together.

Walking down the hall with her bandmates, Regina could hardly contain her excitement. While she wasn’t thrilled with having to put up with The Royals for the entire summer, there was nothing like the feeling of being onstage, playing their music and connecting with their amazing fans. It was this feeling, the feeling of walking on air, that gave both Regina and Zelena the courage to tell their mother that they wanted to pursue a career in music.

In the industry Cora Mills was known to be a cold, calculating manager who would do anything to ensure her clients were number one, and rumors of her mistreating her own children were quick to circulate, but never proven true. In actuality, Cora was a doting mother who made a promise to her two daughters, the only family she had left in life, and their friends who she looked after as if they were here own, that she would do everything to help them reach their dreams.

Feeling an arm thrown around her shoulders, Regina was brought out of her thoughts by a smiling Zelena.

“Ready to rock this crowd baby sis?”

“Of course I am.” Regina bumped her sister’s hip. “The question is, are they ready for us?”

Mal swooped under Zelena’s arm, wedging herself between the two sisters at the same time that Ursula hooked her arm, the one whose hand wasn’t intertwined with Cruella’s, with Regina’s free arm.

“Our fans are always ready to rock, but I don’t think the other half will be quite as… receptive,” the blonde replied with a smirk.

Ursula snorted and rolled her eyes as she said, “I don’t think their fans would know a good show if it smacked them in the face.”

“Well then darling,” Cruella said with a playful grin, “I guess we’ll have to give them something charming to remember.”

Zelena whirled around so that she was walking backwards, facing the group with a twinkle in her eye, “I say we give them something,” she stopped, forcing the others to stop as well, and struck a pose, “wicked.”

Mal jumped into a pose similar to the redhead’s, “Something malicious.”

Ursula and Cruella let their hands go, falling into their poses one after the other.

“Something wild.”

“Something devilish.”

Regina smiled at her bandmates before striking her pose, “Something evil.”

The five girls let out a whoop before laughing and linking arms to continuing their way to the stage. As they rounded the corner to the door that led to the stage, they saw The Royals making their way over from the opposite direction. David and Emma were running down the hall with Mary Margaret and Ruby on their backs. The two brunettes were laughing and kicking at one another in attempt to throw the blonds off. With a poorly timed kick, Ruby’s foot caught David’s arm causing him and Emma to bump into each other, and all four bandmates to come crashing to the ground in a pile right in front of The Queens of Darkness.

Zelena snorted, smirking down at the band, “Let’s hope you don’t completely wipe out like that on stage.”

Picking herself up off the ground, Emma pointed her finger at Zelena, but before she could say anything back, Granny and Cora walked up to their clients.

“Okay ladies,” Cora smiled at the young adults, “and gentleman, we don’t want to keep the crowds waiting.”

Both bands stared at each other waiting for the other to move first.

Granny clapped her hands together making the young adults jump, “Well, quit staring, and let’s go!”

The Royals scrambled through the door with The Queens of Darkness right behind them. Cora and Granny let out the breaths they were holding and looked at one another.

“Let’s just hope this goes well.”

Granny laughed, “Let’s just hope they don’t spill any blood.”

Cora sighed, “Drink?”

“Drink.”

As the bands walked onto the stage, they saw glimpses of the crowd from behind the curtain. Signs littered the crowd with various sayings ranging from “Future Mrs. Mills” to “Swan Fever” to “Be My Queen” and everything in between. Emma and Ursula made their way to the two drum sets sitting toward the back of the stage. David, Ruby, Cruella, and Mal walked over to the stands that held their guitars, slipping the straps over their necks before walking to their respective sides of the stage. Zelena positioned herself at the keyboard that was just behind her sister, while Regina and Mary Margaret walked up to their microphones.

Just like they practiced during rehearsals, Zelena played the opening cords of the song as the curtain went up, prompting the fans in the stadium to go wild. The others came in perfectly, not missing a beat. Once the cover song was over, The Queens of Darkness, having won a coin toss the night before, played one of their most popular songs, “Give Me Your Heart”. The Royals followed with their song “The Light Inside”, and both bands went back and forth with their own music, until it came time for the last song.

“We have time for one more song,” Regina said to the crowd, “let me here what you want!”

Having not been able to come to an agreement on what to play, the two bands decided that the crowd would choose their last song. Random song names were shouted until slowly one half of the stadium began chanting the name of The Queens of Darkness’ latest single, while the other half began chanting the name of the first song The Royals had ever released.

Regina turned to her fellow artists, “You heard them.”

Mary Margaret nodded at her bandmates, and turned back to her microphone.

At the same time that David came in with the cords to The Royals’ song, Ursula began playing the beat to The Queens of Darkness’ song. Both musicians stopped when they heard the other, then started again in a vain attempt to save face, only to stop once more when they heard the other.

Regina turned to glare at David, “Didn’t you hear what they were chanting? Or does your brain not think fast enough?”

“Hey!” Emma shouted from her drum set, “maybe you need to clean out your ears, they clearly wanted our song.”

Zelena scoffed, “As if. They wanted our song you dimwit.”

“Watch who you call dimwit, Mills,” Ruby growled at the older girl.

Mal rolled her eyes, “Like you’re gonna do anything about it.”

“Everyone cut it out,” Mary Margaret cut in, attempting to calm everyone down.

“Don’t tell us what to do,” Regina glared at the younger girl, “this isn’t your kingdom to rule over princess.”

“Leave her alone,” Emma stood up from her drum set, pointing her sticks at the singer.

“Why don’t you make me,” Regina taunted the blonde, “since the princess can’t seem to fight her own battles.”

Emma slammed her sticks down on her drum, and stood up, marching over and getting right in Regina’s face.

“Leave. Her. Alone.” Emma poked Regina’s shoulder with every word.

Regina slapped her hand away, “Touch me again, and you’ll regret it.”

Staring the older brunette in the eyes, Emma raised her finger and poked her once more. Regina growled, and shoved Emma backwards. The blonde stumbled, falling into David who tried in vain to hold her back. Ruby ripped her guitar off at the same time that Zelena rushed to Regina’s side. Not being able to contain the blonde fury, Emma’s shirt slipped through David’s fingers, as she pushed Regina back. Zelena and Ruby, trying to defend their sister and best friend, began to wrestle each other to the ground. David and Mal tried to pull Emma and Regina out of their shoving match, while Ursula and Mary Margaret tried to pull Zelena and Ruby away from one another and Cruella watched the group with disinterest. The security guards who were standing just off the stage to ensure fans didn’t rush the bands, jumped into action, pulling the fighting young adults away from each other and off the stage.

Once backstage, the two bands were met by their fuming managers.

“What,” Cora began with a harsh tone in voice, “were you thinking?”

“They weren’t,” Granny answered, “or else they would have known that flying fists is no way to handle a situation.”

The Royals and The Queens of Darkness looked anywhere but their managers’ faces, too ashamed by their actions to say anything.

Shaking her head, Cora said, “You all better hope we can get this to blow over, because if not, this whole tour could become pointless.”

Granny sighed, “You all look awful. Go clean up and get some rest, you’re gonna need it.”

The two bands shuffled out of the room, both hoping they hadn’t ruined their careers over one little fight.

* * *

Emma Swan did not have a perfect life, in fact it was far from it. Left on the side of the road as a baby, Emma spent the first few years of her life living in an orphanage in the small seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine. In a town of that size, it was very rare for anyone to be adopted, and by the time someone decided to adopt, six-year Emma was considered “too old” for the couple that wanted a baby to raise as their own.

The kids in town were no better than the adults; any time Emma, or any of the other kids from the orphanage, ran into kids from town they were met with teasing and taunting about their lack of parents. There was one incident in particular where Emma had found herself on the playground, circled by a group of kids who took turns calling her names and pushing her. When she tried to fight back, their teacher only saw her small flying fists, and she was punished for her actions, the other children not facing any consequences. After that, Emma had given up hope on finding a home, choosing to close herself off to the idea of a family of any sorts. The young blonde’s life motto was to look out for herself, because no one else cared.

Emma was thirteen when the Storybrooke orphanage was shut down, and she was forced to move to a group home in Boston. It was there that Emma’s life began to change for the better. Starting seventh grade, Emma met Mary Margaret, a kind eighth grader who took the younger girl under her wing. As much as Emma was determined to keep to herself, the brunette, along with her two friends, David and Ruby, wormed their way into her heart. In only a matter of a few months, the four of them became inseparable, and for the first time in her life, Emma felt like she had a family.

“Hey Em,” Ruby greeted the blonde, “you know how to play the drums right?”

Placing her lunch on the table and sitting next to her, Emma shrugged, “Kinda. This older boy who used to live in the orphanage taught me, but I haven’t played in a couple years. Why?”

“Because of this,” Ruby shoved a flyer in the blonde’s hands.

Emma looked down at the neon orange flyer that was covered in black script. In big bolded letters were the words “Battle of The Bands.” At the bottom of the page, under the date and time, she saw “Grand Prize: $100”.

“What do you think?” Ruby asked, “You on drums, me on bass, David on guitar, and MM can play keyboard and sing. A hundred bucks four ways isn’t too shabby.”

Emma shrugged, “I don’t know Rubs, what are the odds we’ll even be good, let alone win.”

“Thank you, Emma, that was my point,” Mary Margaret chimed in.

“Even if we’re not good, it’ll be fun, right?” David smiled, looking at the three girls encouragingly.

“Yes, David it will be fun. Plus, let’s be real, who here is even going to be competition. Grumpy over there.” Ruby motioned to the short boy a table over who always seemed to have a scowl on his face.

Emma rolled her eyes at her friend, “Well, if you really want to, I’m in.”

Mary Margaret sighed, “If you’re all in, I guess I am too.”

“Yes!” Ruby pumped her fist in the air, “Watch out world, here we come!”

Three weeks later the four friends found themselves nervously awaiting the results of the Battle of the Bands. After their performance, the crowd had gone wild, giving thunderous applause as they left the stage. Emma held her breath as their principal walked up to the microphone.

“And now,” the man’s voice echoed throughout the auditorium, “the winners of our first ever battle of the bands is… The Royals! Come up and claim your prize.”

Ruby rushed up to their principal, grabbing the check and waving it in the air. Emma couldn’t believe it; they had actually won. The crowd and judges loved their music. The overwhelming feeling of pride filled Emma’s chest. This rush was something she could get used to.

* * *

The day after their first show with The Queens of Darkness, The Royals tried their best to keep their distance. Though she knew getting into a fight with the lead singer of the band they were touring with was stupid, Emma knew if she had to spend more time with Regina their tempers would get the best of them once more. The four friends were in the middle of a long relaxing day of playing video games and eating junk food on their tour bus when Mary Margaret got a phone call.

Passing her controller to David, the brunette answered her phone in a cheerful voice, “Hi Granny, what’s up?”

The was a pause as the older woman spoke.

“Oh, I see,” Mary Margaret frowned.

Emma paused the game, exchanging worried glances with Ruby and David.

“Okay, yes, we’ll be there. See you soon.”

David walked up to his girlfriend, “What was that about.”

“Mr. Gold is going to be at the hotel. He wants to talk to all of us.”

“Damnit!” Emma threw down her controller in frustration, “This is my fault. I knew we weren’t gonna be let off that easy.”

Ruby patted her back reassuringly, “It’s gonna be okay Em. Besides, it’s not just your fault. Regina did push you back, and Zelena and me didn’t help much.”

“Yeah I guess. Let’s just hope we still have jobs.”

The rest of the ride to the hotel was spent in silence, the band too preoccupied thinking about the repercussions they could be facing for the previous night. Once the bus was parked, the four teens made their way inside to the room Granny had told Mary Margaret to go to. They arrived at the same time The Queens of Darkness did, both bands refusing to look at one another. They took their seats at a large table, waiting for their impending doom. The bands watched the minutes tick past on the clock. When the time read five o’clock, the door to the room opened, and in walked Gold and their managers. If they were scared of him before, the two bands were absolutely terrified of the angry man in front of them. Though his demeanor was calm, his eyes were filled with fury.

“I thought I had made myself clear,” Gold slammed his hand on the table, making everyone at the table jump, “Last night’s behavior is not acceptable. My plan was to fire you all immediately, but lucky for you, your mangers talked me out of it.”

Regina opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Gold gave her a cold look, “If I were you, I would stay quiet.”

The teen closed her mouth and looked down at her hands.

“Good. Now, I may have been forgiving this time around, but next time I won’t be so nice. I am busy man, and now I have to take time out of my schedule to babysit you all, so I better see a better effort to get along, or you will all be fired.”

Having said all he wanted to say, Gold turned on his heels to leave, motioning for Cora and Granny to follow him. The two bands were left behind to wallow in their thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

The day Elliot Gold decided to expand his already vast media empire, was the day he decided to ruin Emma Swan’s life. Realistically, ruining a seventeen-year old’s life was probably not the CEO’s true intention, but it sure as hell felt like that to her. If she was being honest with herself, Emma had to admit that this was not the worst thing that ever happened to her, hell it didn’t even rank in the top ten, but it was proving to be quite an inconvenience.

Gold had spent the last two weeks breathing down their necks. Every practice, every show, every time they sat down to eat, he was there watching them. To top it all off, when he finally decided to leave them alone and go back to running his business, he put them in what he called “The Buddy System.” They were all paired with someone from the opposite band, and they would have to spend all their free time with that person. It wouldn’t have been so band if she was paired with Ursula and Cruella like David was, all those two ever did was make out and make snarky comments about people’s wardrobe. Hell, she would have even taken Mal, even though the older blonde creeped her out a little, but no, she was stuck with the worst person of them all.

“Are you ready to go yet?”

Speak of the devil. Emma looked up from her phone to see a huffy Regina standing with a hand on her hip and an annoyed look on her face. Cora and Granny thought it be best to ease them all into their buddy assignments, so they had sent the bands to go mini golfing. Shoving her phone in her pocket Emma jumped up with enthusiasm, trying to make the best out of a bad situation

“Sure thing partner.”

Regina rolled her eyes and walked over to the booth that was giving out the balls and clubs.

“We’ll take the red ones,” Regina told the man behind the counter, who went to grab the ones she wanted.

“Actually,” Emma butt in, “I’d prefer the yellow ones. Yellow’s kinda my lucky color.”

The man began to reach for the yellow clubs.

“We’re not using yellow. We’ll take the red ones.”

The man reached back up for the red ones.

“Wait, what’s wrong with yellow?”

The man stood with both colored clubs in his hands looking back and forth at the two teens.

“You mean besides the fact that it’s tacky?”

“Um, first off yellow is not tacky, and second, red is overrated.”

“Overrated? Red is the color of passion, it’s the color of power. Yellow is just… weak.”

“Okay, whatever your majesty, we’ll use red.”

The man placed the clubs and balls on the counter, and Regina and Emma both grabbed their own before walking over to the others who had already gotten their supplies.

Ruby smirked at Emma, “Ready to get your butt kicked loser?”

“Who you callin’ loser, flop.”

“Has-been.”

“Never-been.”

“Never-gonna be.”

“Do they do this a lot?” Mal asked.

David smiled, “All the time. I don’t think they even realize when they start doing it anymore.”

Ruby and Emma looked up to find amused looks from the group.

“As cute as all that was,” Zelena waved her hand in their direction, “why don’t we get this started.”

The group nodded and murmured in agreement, walking over to the first hole. Emma bumped Mary Margaret’s arm playfully.

“Don’t look so worried, it’s just mini golf.”

The older girl smiled, “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

An hour later, Mary Margaret found her prediction wasn’t completely true. The game started off okay, each team having one member play a hole then switching off. Ursula was fairly good, but between David’s lack of skill and Cruella’s lack of care for the game, their team was dead last. Mal and Mary Margaret were both decent players, but more than a few holes between them both made sure their team wasn’t close to winning. Regina, Zelena, Emma, and Ruby all proved to be good players and the most competitive out of the bunch.

By the last hole, the most difficult one, the red and green team were all tied up, and the tension was high. Zelena had made a shot in two hits, so all Emma had to do was get a hole in one. Emma missed her first shot, but kept her cool knowing she could at least tie again and have Regia and Ruby battle it out in a bonus round. Taking a deep breath, the blonde swung, hitting the ball a little too hard, causing it to roll right over the hole.

Zelena and Ruby cheered, jumping up and down and high fiving each other. Regina threw her club down in frustration.

“Nice going Emma.”

“Hey back off, that was a hard hole.”

“For you obviously.”

“What’s your problem? It’s not like I killed anyone, I just missed a freakin’ shot. It’s not the end of the world Miss Priss.”

“Excuse me, what did you just call me.?”

Emma walked up to the brunette, “I called you Miss Priss. What are you gonna do about it?”

“How about I give you a black eye,” Regina fumed.

Emma snorted and spread her arms out, “Take your best shot Miss Priss.”

Regina pulled her arm back, but before she could hit the blonde, a hand stopped her.

“Not the best idea with the paps around. Maybe later, baby sis.”

Regina huffed, straightened her clothes, then turned and walked away. Emma rolled her eyes at the dramatics of the older girl. This was going to be a very long tour.

The next couple of weeks of the tour were lighter weeks, not like the first few that were filled with photoshoots and separate interviews. In that time, the bands seemed to be getting along better as a whole. David found that all he had to do to make Ursula and Cruella happy was to let them dress him and give him fashion advice. Probably one of the funniest things to happen was David showing up to sound check in all black leather, with his hair spiked up and wearing eyeliner. The entire group, Cora and Granny included, took enough pictures to last a lifetime. Ruby and Zelena found that they were actually quite similar to one another, both being the flirty jokesters of their bands. They bonded over pranks, their biggest one so far involved Granny, Cora, a pig, and a bucket of mud; the look on their caregivers’ faces was totally worth the trouble they got into. Probably most surprising, Mal and Mary Margaret bonded over the fact that they were basically the mothers of both bands, swapping stories of the ridiculous things their bandmates did, like the time Emma and Ruby convinced David that their tour bus was haunted, or the time Zelena tricked Ursula into getting rid of all Cruella’s faux fur by telling the younger girl it was made from actual puppies.

Despite all the growth that had happened over those few weeks, Emma and Regina still found themselves at odds. They were both strong headed, passionate women, which caused them to butt heads just when they thought they were making progress with one another. With the two of them, it was always one step forward and two steps back.

* * *

The Royals and The Queens of Darkness gathered together once again for their second joint interview. Now that they had all been getting along, Gold decided it was time to show their newfound comradeship off. Blue would be their interviewer once again, much to the distain of the two bands. After finishing hair and makeup, they all took their seats. On the couch was Ruby, Zelena, Regina, and Emma, and on the stools behind sat Cruella, Ursula, David, Mary Margaret, and Mal. The artists chatted amongst themselves much to the surprise of the crew around them. Blue finally took her seat across from the bands, just seconds before they were about to roll, when David had just finished a joke that had the others in a fit of laughter. The reporter raised her eyebrows then turned to the camera to start her interview.

“Hello, I’m Lucy Blue, and today I’m sitting down with The Royals and The Queens of Darkness mid their summer tour,” The reporter smiled at the group in front of her, “I must say, you all look cozier than the last time I saw you. What’s changed?”

The bands looked at one another to see who was going to speak first. Regina nodded at Mary Margaret, giving her the signal to go ahead and talk.

“Well,” Mary Margaret started, “these last few weeks on tour have just been great. We’ve all really gotten to know each other and look past our differences to find just how similar we are.”

The reporter nodded, “What about the incident after your first show? That was quite a spectacle that shocked many people.”

“Yes, that is also something that we’ve had to look past.”

“What about the rumors that all of this is just a grand scheme cooked up to make sure your image remains sparkling white especially after bashing each other for so long,” the reporter pushed on.

Regina waved her hand, “All of that’s old news. Just misunderstandings that we’ve all gotten past. In this industry, people are passionate, and sometimes that passion gets the best of us, but I think we’ve grown and learned as a group.”

“Yeah,” Ruby jumped in throwing her arm around Zelena, “like I learned that Z has a mean right hook.”

The group laughed, cutting some of the tension out of the room. Zelena gave Ruby a playful push with her shoulder and winked at the younger brunette.

“That’s not the only thing I’ve taught you.”

Ruby blew Zelena a kiss as the rest of the group oohed at them.

“Okay,” the reporter looked back at the camera, “when we come back, we’ll answer some of your questions. Stay tuned.”

The rest of the interview was spent answering fans’ questions; things like “What’s it like having a boy on tour?”, “What’s your favorite song to play?”, and “What’s the craziest thing that’s happened on tour?”. The two bands left the studio laughing, another step closer to closing the gap between them.

* * *

The bands had been on tour for a little over a month when they had a show in Storybrooke. Emma had been dreading this day from the start of the tour, but Gold thought it was a brilliant idea to play in her home town. All the others were from big cities, so their hometown shows were nowhere near as personal as Emma’s. What Gold saw as an opportunity to spin Emma as a hometown hero, Emma saw as revisiting a traumatizing part of her past. From the minute they stopped in Storybrooke, Emma’s attitude was sour, and only her three bandmates knew why.

“Are you even paying attention?” Regina snapped her fingers in Emma’s face.

Emma scowled, her tone filled with sarcasm, “Yes, your majesty. Sorry I took a second to blink, it won’t happen again.”

Regina frowned, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting weird all day.”

“I’m fine, let’s just get through this song.”

The Royals looked at Emma with concern as The Queens of Darkness looked on with confusion. After they finished their sound check, Emma left the stage as fast as she could. Regina walked over to the remaining Royals.

“Okay, spill,” Regina stared down the group, “What’s going on with Emma?”

Ruby, Mary Margaret, and David exchanged a look. Regina rolled her eyes.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll have to go find out myself, and my methods might not go over so well for all of you.”

Ruby sighed, “Emma hates this place. It brings back bad memories.”

“Bad memories?”

David nodded, “You know. Left on the side of the road, never knew her parents, lived in an orphanage for years.”

A look of realization came across Regina’s face. She nodded, then turned to leave in the same direction that Emma left. Ruby made a move to follow her, but Zelena grabbed her arm and shook her head.

“She’s just going to talk to her. You can trust me.”

Sparing one last glance in their direction, Ruby nodded, “I hope so.”

It didn’t take long for Regina to find Emma. The blonde was in the parking lot, sitting on the curb with her skateboard under her feet, looking down and slowing rocking the board side to side. Without saying a word, Regina sat down next to Emma, and waited. After a few minutes Emma looked up, not meeting Regina’s curious gaze.

“People think not knowing who my parents are was the worst part about growing up, but it wasn’t. I mean it sucked, but lots of kids don’t know who their parents are. No, the worst part was the rumors. Every day I had to listen to people making assumptions about me. About who my parents are. About why they didn’t keep me. About why they just dumped me on the side of the road like a piece of trash. About how I would amount to nothing, and my parents were better off without me.”

Regina grabbed Emma’s clenched fist, “People are stupid, and they tear others down because they can’t face the things that happen in their own lives. That doesn’t mean anything they say is true.”

Emma snorted, “You don’t really know me Regina.”

“Maybe not, but I know you can fall asleep anywhere in any position. I know you still have your first pair of drumsticks. I know you get a rush every time you perform, just like I do. I know your band is your family, and you would do anything for them. I know your smart, and passionate, and caring, and probably feel more than most people do. You’re not nothing Emma. You’re so much more.”

Emma finally looked at Regina, and seeing the sincerity in her eyes, smiled at the older girl. Regina squeezed Emma’s hand and the two stood up, the sun setting behind them.

“Ya know, if you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to go and make a big speech, though the compliments were nice.”

Regina blushed, dropping Emma’s hand like it was something too hot to touch.

“You wish Swan. Let’s get back inside before Zelena and Ruby decided to set something on fire.”

With that Regina headed back inside, while Emma stared. After a moment, she shook her head smiling, and grabbed her board before jogging to catch up with the other girl. Later that night as they played for a crowd of screaming fans, Emma couldn’t stop smiling, Regina’s words replaying in her head, giving her the confidence she needed for the show.

_“You’re not nothing Emma. You’re so much more.”_

* * *

Regina took in a slow deep breath, eyes closed, laid out on a towel, soaking in the sun’s warm rays. Thanks to a rescheduled photoshoot and the lack of drama between The Royals and The Queens of Darkness, they had been given the day off. It was a beautiful day, so the group decided to spend it outside. Emma, Zelena, Ruby, and David were running around in their swimsuits, having a water fight, after scrounging up some water guns, buckets, and a hose. The rest of them had opted out of their game, choosing to do more relaxing things. Mary Margaret and Mal were sitting under a large umbrella, reading books the other loaned to them. Cruella and Ursula, holding hands, had joined Regina in her sunbathing, the three of them also clad in swimsuits and sitting on towels. Cora and Granny had just started preparing the feast they intended to make the seemingly always hungry young adults.

“Leave that alone, it’s not time to eat yet.” The words were followed by a light slapping sound.

Regina raised her sunglasses off of her face, and leaned up on her elbows to find the source of the noise. A wet David and Emma stood by the table their managers had set up next to a small grill as the younger blonde yanked her hand away from a bowl of chips.

“Aww come on Granny, we’re starving.”

Emma pouted while David nodded, letting his best puppy dog eyes do their work. Ruby laughed at her friends, walking up to the group with an arm thrown around Zelena’s shoulders, matching bright green water guns in their hands.

“You guys should know better by now, Granny’s immune to those silly faces.”

Emma gasped dramatically and clutched her chest, “How dare you. Our faces are not silly, right David?”

Emma turned to find the boy gone, having wondered over to see what his girlfriend was doing. Looking around, Emma saw that everyone else was preoccupied except for Regina who looked away quickly when Emma caught her eye. The older girl had been a little weird since their conversation in Storybrooke. They still spent time together, but anytime they weren’t with the group things became somewhat awkward. Just the day before, their hands had brushed when Emma tried to help Regina pick up some sheet music she had dropped, and the singer froze, staring at her before jumping up and running out of the room with a rushed excuse of being late to meet Zelena. It was almost as if Regina didn’t want anything to do with her, but, being the stubbornly persistent person she was, Emma refused to give up on their budding friendship.

“You don’t think my face is silly, do you Gina?” Emma batted her eyes at the girl, pulling an innocent look onto her face.

Regina smiled and rolled her eyes, “No Emma, your face is fine.”

The blonde plopped down next to the brunette, threw her arms around her, and squeezed tight, “Aww Regina, you’re so sweet!”

Regina blushed, and tried not to look to flustered as Emma began nuzzling her face into her neck. After a few seconds, Emma stopped her nuzzling, but positioned herself more comfortably so that her arms hung loosely around Regina’s waist and her chin rested on her shoulder. Regina took a second to relish in the feeling of Emma, her strong arms and soothing presence. The two had gotten off to the wrong foot, like all the other members of their bands, but she couldn’t help but feel like they were kindred spirits, like they belonged in each other’s lives. All she wanted to do was stay here in Emma’s arms and enjoy the day, but the nagging voice in the back of her head prevented her from completely relaxing. Trying to keep her cool, Regina looked around catching the matching smirks on Zelena and Ruby’s faces, the knowing look on Mal’s face, and the smiling faces of David and Mary Margaret. All of a sudden Regina felt like she was suffocating.

“Get off of me!” Regina yelled at Emma, ripping her arms away from her body and running off toward her tour bus.

Emma blinked back in confusion before jumping up and chasing after the other girl. She found Regina sitting with her back against the door of her bus, knees pulled up to her chest, head buried in her arms. Emma slowed down, approaching the other girl with caution.

“Please don’t,” Regina’s muffled voice stopped Emma in her tracks.

Emma furrowed her brow, “Don’t what?”

Regina looked up with tears in her eyes, “Don’t come over here and be all cute and charming and sweet and make me like you even more.”

Emma grinned, “You like me?”

Regina looked at her with slight disbelief, “Of course I do, you doofus, who wouldn’t?”

Emma moved to sit next to Regina, making sure to leave space between the two of them.

“You certainly don’t act like you like me very much.”

Regina sighed, “That’s because I can’t like you.”

“Why? Because I’m a girl?”

Regina shook her head, looking somewhat offended, “Of course not! I don’t care about that. You just… don’t understand.”

“Then help me understand.”

Emma smiled, hoping to reassure Regina and help put her at ease with whatever inner battle she was struggling with. They sat for a few minutes in silence until Regina stood up and held her hand out for the blonde to take. Emma grabbed the outstretched hand and stood up, then proceeded to follow Regina into her bus. Once inside, Regina motioned for Emma to take a seat on one of the couches, while she went to one of the cupboards to look for something. After rooting around for a few seconds, Regina produced an old shoe box, and went to stand in front of Emma, placing the box on her lap. Emma looked at her in confusion prompting Regina to roll her eyes and reach down to take the lid off.

Taking the hint, Emma began to look through the box. There was a couple of ticket stubs, a small stuffed bear, a plastic ring, a faded grey t-shirt, a stack of letters, and a polaroid picture of a boy. Emma examined the boy in the picture; he had dark brown hair, bright blue eyes that shined despite the dark circles around them, and a smile that could light up a room. He looked tired, but happy.

“That’s Daniel.”

Regina grabbed the picture and smiled, running her finger gently across the boy’s face.

“He was your boyfriend?”

Regina nodded, “We met in pre-school. He was the only kid in class who loved horses as much as I did. He was also the one who encouraged me to start singing. He always believed I could be someone special.”

“He sounds great.”

“He was. Daniel was my best friend. My first love. He was my person.”

“What happened?”

Regina sighed, moving to sit next to Emma and taking the box from her lap.

“When he was thirteen he was diagnosed with lung cancer. They managed to get rid of it, but it came back a couple years later, worse than the first time. We were in the middle of our first world tour when it came back. I wanted to fly back home and stay with him until he got better, but he insisted that I finish the tour and when I got back he would be healthy again. We talked every day and he sent me those letters, filled with poems he wrote me. We were convinced that together we could overcome his cancer, that somehow our love was powerful enough to perform a miracle. He died a week before our tour ended.”

“I’m so sorry Regina.”

The brunette shook her head, “There’s nothing to be sorry about, that’s just how life works.”

“Still, I’m sorry you had to go through that. Losing someone you love isn’t easy.”

“No, it’s not, and that’s why you and I can’t be a thing.”

Regina closed the box and went to put it back in the cupboard she got it from. Emma got up from her place, moving to stand right next to Regina.

“He was your first love Regina, no one can replace him. And I know I didn’t know him, but I’m sure he would want you to move on. You owe it to yourself to at least try to be happy with someone else.”

Regina rubbed her forehead, “I know I do Emma, it’s just you...”

“Me what?”

Regina turned to look the blonde straight in the eye, “You scare me.”

Emma cocked her head to the side, “I scare you?”

“When you smile, I can’t think straight. When you tell a joke, I can’t help but laugh, even when it’s not that funny. When I look into your eyes, I get butterflies in my stomach. When we touch, I feel like I’m on fire. The only other person I’ve ever felt so strongly about was Daniel, so yeah, you scare me.”

“You know, you’re not the only person who feels that way. You are without a doubt the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and I consider myself lucky to have you in my life,” Emma smiled sweetly at the older girl and gently took her hand, “Whether we’re just friends, or maybe something more, I’m happy as long as you’re happy. Whatever this is going on between us, we can take all the time you need to figure it out together.”

Regina smiled, “Together?”

Emma nodded, “Together.”

Emma let go of her hand, pulling her into a hug instead. Regina sighed, and closed her eyes. The weight that had been on her shoulders was lifted, she felt lighter. Whatever happened next, she knew she could get through with Emma, as long as they were together.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next few days Regina and Emma began spending all their time together; they had become practically inseparable, a change that everyone, including the media, noticed. Some gossip blogs still liked to paint the bands as enemies, making up outrages theories about “forced hugs” that were “too short” to be considered friendly. The group of musicians ignored the negativity, choosing to focus on their music and having a good time with their new friends.

After one particularly energy filled show, the young adults were too wired up to sleep, so they decided instead to have a movie night. They all gathered in Zelena and Regina’s hotel roomed, stocked with a generous supply of snacks and drinks. David and Mary Margaret squished themselves into the recliner having lost a game of rock, paper scissors to Zelena and Ruby who were comfortably sitting in the love seat. Mal, Ursula, and Cruella sat on the couch, while Emma and Regina opted for the floor, surrounding themselves with blankets and pillows for cushion.

“Nooo!” Ruby wailed, throwing popcorn at the screen.

Zelena snorted, “They can’t hear you Rub.”

“I know, but they’re all being so stupid. I mean why would she settle for him when she’s loved the guy next door for so long.”

Mary Margaret spoke up from David’s lap, “He’s her soulmate Ruby, what she felt in the past doesn’t matter anymore. They belong together.”

Mary Margaret smiled up at David giving him a quick peck. Ruby rolled her eyes and threw popcorn at the couple.

“Feelings just don’t disappear overnight MM, even if he is her ‘soulmate’,” Ruby made air quotes around the word.

The short haired girl shrugged, “Just wait and see, true love will prevail in the end.”

“I know it will,” Ruby shot back before taking a sip of her water.

“You know,” Emma whispered to Regina reaching over to grab popcorn from the bowl in her lap, “Ruby’s right. This is so unrealistic.”

“Oh, it is?” Regina raised an eyebrow.

Emma nodded, speaking with her mouth full, “Totally. I mean the whole, he’s the one she has to be with because they’re more compatible thing is bull. Love should be about what you feel, not what people tell you to feel. They might seem happy now, but give it some time and they’ll figure out that they want completely different things.”

“Well you just have it all figured out, don’t you Miss Swan.”

Emma swallowed, winking at Regina, “You know it.”

“Shush you two, it’s getting to the good part,” Mal interrupted the pair, nudging the two with her foot.

Regina flicked her bandmate’s foot, but followed her request and stopped talking. For the rest of the movie there where no more interruptions except for some quiet snickering between Ruby and Zelena when the main character awkwardly attempted to seduce her love interest. As the ending credits rolled on the screen, Regina took a moment to stretch and look around. Everyone was in various stages of sleepiness, their long day finally catching up to them. Mary Margaret and David where the first to excuse themselves, having no mess to clean up they just took their blankets and went back to their room. They were soon followed by Ursula, Cruella, and Mal who had only stayed behind because they spilled the last of their popcorn on the couch. When Ruby finally got up to leave, Zelena followed her claiming she was going to borrow a pair of shoes from the younger girl for their show tomorrow night, despite the fact that her feet were a size too big to actually fit.

Finally alone, Emma smiled at Regina and plopped down on the couch, patting the spot next to her. Rolling her eyes fondly at the blonde, Regina sat down, laying her head on Emma’s shoulder and taking her hand. The two sat in silence for a moment, relishing in the other’s presence.

“So, I guess you liked the ending of the movie since she chose the boy next door,” Regina moved her head so she was looking at the other girl.

Emma shrugged, “It was okay. I liked that she did what she wanted to do instead of what her parents wanted her to do. It was kinda brave of her.”

“Hmm, I guess it was brave of her to listen to her heart.”

“For sure. Sometimes you just have to take life by the horns and go for it, ya know?”

Regina nodded slightly, lost in her thoughts. She bit her bottom lip and glanced over at Emma, letting her eyes drift over the blonde’s features. Her hair was laying over her shoulders in slight waves. Her eyes were shining, more green than blue today. Her nose was scrunched up and her jawline was accented as she yawned. As she finished yawning, Emma licked her lips, the movement drawing Regina’s eyes over.

Emma gave a sleepy smile, “What?”

“Just being brave.”

A look of confusion came over Emma’s face, and Regina leaned up to press her lips to the blonde’s. Emma tensed up in surprise, then immediately relaxed into the kiss, moving her hands to cup Regina’s face. After a moment, Regina pulled away, eyes closed and a look of bliss on her face. When she opened her eyes, she found Emma’s wide smile staring back at her. Grabbing Emma’s hands from her face, Regina got up and led the other girl to the door. Emma opened the door and stepped out, still facing Regina. She leaned down and placed a kiss on Regina’s forehead.

“Goodnight Regina.”

“Goodnight Emma.”

With a final smile, Regina closed the door and leaned against it. She slid down and pulled her knees up, a wide smile on her face. On the other side of the door, Emma stood with one hand against the door, and the other touching her lips. This was a feeling neither girl would ever forget.

* * *

“Hey can I get a seven and a half and an eight?” Emma asked the man behind the counter.

The balding man nodded, turning around to grab the shoes and then putting them on the counter. Emma thanked him, and walked over to where Regina was sitting, talking to her sister.

“Here ya go, m’lady.”

“Why thank you, kind miss.”

Emma smiled at Regina as she sat down and switched her new converse for the old, beat up bowling shoes. While they still hadn’t decided what was going on between them, since their first kiss, Regina and Emma had begun a whole new chapter in their relationship. Emma had found that her favorite thing in the world was kissing Regina. From the quick good luck pecks before a show, to the hard-passionate ones when they were completely alone, to the soft lingering ones when they had to go their separate ways, Emma was hooked. While they weren’t ashamed of their relationship, both girls had decided to keep it under wraps until they could better figure out what they were to one another. For now, they both just enjoyed their secret rendezvouses.

“Alright,” David clapped his hands together, “I’ve got all the names put in, team one will be on lane five and team 2 will be on lane six.”

“Um, why do you guys get to be team one?” Zelena questioned the boy.

“Because we’re number one,” Ruby winked at the redhead.

Zelena smirked, “We’ll see about that.”

The bands were supposed to be in the middle of their sound check, but due to some weather problems, the crew had only just began putting the stage together. Not wanting to give the hyperactive musicians a chance to cause any trouble, Granny and Cora sent the group to a bowling alley a couple of blocks from their venue, with instructions to not come back until they had been told to.

The bands choose to spilt up into two teams based on age, the younger ones versus the older ones. Cruella had opted out of playing, satisfied with watching and cheering on her girlfriend. First up was David and Mary Margaret.

“I always thought he was older. Who knew the princess liked them young?” Zelena nudged Ruby.

“He’s only a couple months younger. Besides, what’s wrong with a little age difference?” Ruby waggled her eyebrows at Zelena leaving the older girl with a slight blush on her cheeks.

After the couple finished their turn, Ursula and Mal went, followed by Ruby and Zelena, and finally Emma and Regina. The group finished their game fairly quickly, and, much like their game of mini golf, Zelena and Emma ended the game tied for first.

“Great game everyone,” Mary Margaret high fived her friends, “Granny just text saying they’re ready for us to go back. Everything’s already paid for, so we just have to turn in our sho-”

“Wait,” Emma interrupted, “We can’t just leave when there’s a tie.”

Zelena nodded, “She’s right, we have to settle this.”

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, “Can’t you guys just rock, paper, scissor it out?”

Emma scoffed, “And leave it up to chance. I don’t think so.”

“Well we don’t have time for you guys to play another round.”

“That’s fine, I have an idea.”

After turning in their shoes, the group found themselves in the arcade area of the bowling alley. The darkly lit room was poorly stocked with only a claw machine to win a stuffed animal, an old pac-man machine, a dancing game, and an air hockey table that only had one puck.

Zelena looked around the room, “I’m guessing you want to challenge me to a dance off.”

Emma nodded, “That is if you can take the heat.”

“Oh, I can take it. The real question is, are you going to survive the epic loss you’re about to take?”

The group gathered around the dancing machine as Emma and Zelena prepared themselves. The only song on the machine was something none of them recognized, but still, the two competitors gave it their all. Both sides of the screen were mostly filled with the word “good” and the occasional “miss” or “perfect. By the end of the song, both girls had worked up a bit of a sweat, and as they final note was played, they laughed together and bumped fists.

“Not too bad kid,” Zelena smiled at Emma.

“Right back at ya.”

“Winner!” Both girls turned to look at the screen to find the flashing word on Emma’s side.

“Booyah!” Emma fist pumped and jumped off of the dancing platform.

“Well,” Mary Margaret said slowly, “now that we settled that, let’s get going before we get yelled out.”

The group nodded in agreement, making their way out of the building and back towards the stadium. As they walked, Regina and Emma hugged and celebrated the blonde’s win, while Ruby, with her arm around the girl, consoled Zelena over her loss. The rest of the grouped looked back and forth between the pairs of girls. Mal caught Mary Margaret’s eye, a silent message passing between them: something was going on, and they were going to find out what it was.

* * *

“This emergency meeting of The Royal Queens of Darkness is now called to order,” Mary Margaret looked around the room as she spoke, “Who wants to speak first.”

“Oh let’s cut the bull,” after a few moments Cruella broke the silence, “We’re all here because it’s obvious that Emma and Regina want to fu-“

“Woah,” Mary Margaret rushed before the bass player could finish, “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but we’ve all seen how close they’ve been lately, and how touchy feely they were after Emma won that dance competition.”

“Yeah. I mean, they were all over each other, and you two were left to keep one another company,” Ursula gestured towards Ruby and Zelena, both girls’ cheeks tinting red, “There is definitely a spark between them.”

Mal snorted, “More like a bonfire. Those two are so thirsty for each other, they make the Sahara look like an oasis.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know they’re into each other,” Ruby waved her hand in the air, “The real question is…”

“Are they already together?” Zelena finished the younger girls sentence with a smirk on her face.

Mary Margaret shook her head, “I don’t think they’re together. Emma would have told me, she tells me everything.”

“What about that time she got into a fight with Leeroy, or the time she spray-painted that scruffy looking dude’s car, or the time she broke into a country club to go for a swim at two in the morning?”

“Okay,” Mary Margaret frowned at her boyfriend, “maybe she doesn’t tell me everything, but she would have told me about her and Regina.”

“Unless they’re not really together and just hooking up. You can be a little obsessive when it comes to her relationships,” Ruby shrugged.

“I’m not obsessive, I’m just concerned. You know Emma doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to dating,” Mary Margaret sighed, “You might have a point though. If they are… doing stuff, they might not want to tell us because it’s not serious. And we should respect that, right?”

“Or,” Zelena said, “we could investigate because we’re all curious, and it’s gonna bug us if we don’t find out.”

The group nodded in agreement.

“If we’re going to do this, then we’re going to do this right. Zelena and Ruby will-“

“Whatcha guys up to?”

The group jumped, turning to find Regina and Emma in the doorway, the blonde snacking on a bag of chips.

“Nothing really, we were just…” Mary Margaret looked around at the others for help.

David jumped in, “We were just talking about hair care.”

Regina raised an eyebrow, “Hair care?”

“Yep,” David nodded, “I mean everyone here has such long, nice hair. I was just curious about how everyone went about getting it like that.”

Emma crunched on a chip, “That’s weird dude.”

David chuckled nervously, “It was just an idea.”

“Well,” Regina cut in, “if you guys are done discussing proper hair treatment, we have to start getting ready for the show.”

The group got up, and walked out the door smiling tensely at the two girls they were just talking about. Regina grabbed a chip from the bag Emma was holding, noting the look on her face.

“What?”

“I’m just picturing David with long hair,” the blonde girl shuddered slightly, “that would be so gross.”

Regina smiled and rolled her eyes, walking away from the doorway. Emma tilted her head, watching Regina leave.

“Now that’s a sight I can get used to.”

Emma smiled as Regina’s laugh echoed through the hallway.

* * *

A few days later, the two bands were gathered in the parking lot of their hotel, waiting for their managers to take them to a radio interview. David, Ruby, and Emma were on their skateboards, performing little tricks, while the rest of the group sat on the curb cheering them on.

“Why don’t you know how to skateboard, if the rest of them do?” Mal nudged Mary Margaret.

“Oh, it’s just not my thing.”

Emma snorted, “We tried to teach her once and we couldn’t get past her standing on the board without her falling flat on her face.”

“Okay, maybe I’m not coordinated enough for skateboarding, but it’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“I think I could pick it up pretty fast,” Zelena stood up and walked over to Ruby who jumped off her board and began explaining what the older girl had to do.

Ursula approached David, who eagerly began to show her the basics of riding.

Landing a trick right in front of Regina, Emma held out her hand, “What do you say? Wanna give it a try?”

Regina shrugged and took the blonde’s hand, standing up, “Sure, why not.”

The two walked a little way from the group, giving themselves space to work. Emma placed her board on the ground, and motioned for Regina to step up on it. The brunette placed one foot on the board, and immediately grabbed Emma’s shoulders to steady herself when she felt it move. She slowly placed her other foot on the board, and smiled in triumph when she let go of Emma and was still standing.

“Nice!” Emma exclaimed, “You’re already better than Mary Margaret.”

“I heard that!”

Emma chuckled and stuck her tongue out at her friend before turning back to the brunette in front of her.

“Okay, now that you’re on, let’s try moving a bit.”

Regina looked slightly panicked, “I’m not sure I can move.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina’s forearms, and began to move her and the board gently back and forth. After a moment, Regina’s expression relaxed, melting into a smile.

“This isn’t so bad, I think I’m getting the ha-“

Regina’s sentence was cut short as she lost her balance, causing her to fall on Emma. Neither girl said anything for a second, before they both started laughing. Regina pushed herself up so that her arms were on either side of Emma’s head.

“I might have spoken to soon.”

Emma grinned up at her, “Just a little.’

Both girls leaned in, their lips meeting in the middle. Emma smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Regina’s waste, making the older girl sigh softly.

“Well that’s new.”

Regina and Emma jumped apart, both scrambling to stand up. They had forgotten about their friends’ presences, until Mal’s voice scared them. No one seemed surprised, in fact they almost looked smug. With the shock worn off, Regina cleared her throat and brushed her clothes down.

“Yes, well now that you’ve all seen that, that wasn’t the first time it happened and it won’t be the last, so you should all just get used to it.”

As Regina finished speaking, Cora and Granny pulled around the corner in a van. Regina gave a nod of certainty and walked over to the vehicle. The rest of the group just smiled and followed her suit. Ruby walked up to Emma who was a little shocked that Regina had admitted to them being a thing.

Throwing her arm around her friend, Ruby pulled Emma towards the van, “Come on Romeo, you don’t want to keep Juliet waiting.”

* * *

“Alright kids, everyone get dressed, we’re going out tonight!”

Regina looked up from her spot on the couch, her feet draped over Emma’s lap.

“What are you talking about Zelena?”

“Well baby sis,” Zelena grabbed the remote for the Regina’s hand and turned off the t.v., “Granny and mom are both fighting off a stomach bug, and are going to be in bed all night. It’s our one shot at freedom, and everyone else is already getting ready. So, let’s go love birds!”

Emma and Regina both got up, hurrying to get ready for the night. Throughout their time on tour, they bands had visited many places, but with their fighting in the beginning and their hectic schedules, they hadn’t been allowed to go out and enjoy the cities. They few times they did get a break, Granny and Cora were either with them, or gave them strict instructions on what they were supposed to do. With both managers out for the night, the young adults finally had a chance to go out.

An hour later, the bands found themselves sitting in a private booth in the town’s hottest new club. A waitress came over and began placing drinks on the table.

“We didn’t order these,” David yelled over the music.

“On the house,” the waitress smiled and walked away.

“I love this place,” Zelena began passing the drinks around.

Emma shook her head at the drink offer, “I’m only seventeen, remember?”

“I looked up drinking laws in Germany. You can drink beer and wine. Bottoms up kid,” Zelena slid the glass of beer in front of the blonde.

Emma shrugged and grabbed the glass. This wouldn’t be her first time drinking, but she had always made sure that she followed drinking laws in public. Once everyone had a drink, David stood up, a wide smile on his face.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” he raised his glass in the air, “a few months ago, if any of us were put in a room together, it was an almost guaranteed fight. We hated each other because of a silly comment and ego. This tour has turned enemies to friends, and I hope to keep working to make these new friendships strong. I look forward to all the great things we can do together in the future. To us!”

Everyone else raised their glasses in unison, “To us!”

After a moment Zelena shouted, “Alright, enough with the sentimental crap, let’s get wasted!”

Everyone cheered and took a big gulp of their drinks. The rest of the night was a blur of drinking, laughing, and dancing. At one point, Zelena made a rule that every time Emma and Regina kissed, everyone had to do a shot. The more drunk the pair got, the more they kissed, and the more everyone had to drink. By the time they decided to leave the club, everyone was completely plastered. David was practically holding Mary Margaret up, the small girl being a very big lightweight. Ursula, Cruella, and Mal where in a heated discussion about the importance of a good pair of heels, which had them bursting into a fit of laughter every couple of minutes. Ruby and Zelena were leading the group, arms thrown around each other belting out a mostly wrong rendition of a drinking song they had just learned that night. Emma and Regina brought up the back of the group, stopping every few minutes to kiss then having to run to catch up with the group.

When they finally made it back to their hotel, everyone headed to bed, except for Emma and Regina. The pair wandered over to the grassy area behind the hotel, and laid down together to look at the stars. Feeling Emma’s eyes on her, Regina turned her head to look at the blonde.

“What?” she asked softly, brushing hair out of the younger girl’s face.

Emma smiled, her eyes droopy and voice soft, “You’re amazing.”

Regina smiled back, “You’re drunk.”

“Yeah, I am,” Emma scooted closer, her nose bumping gently into Regina’s, “You’re still amazing.”

The brunette smiled and leaned in, letting their lips brush softly. In this moment, with just her and Emma, it was as time stood still and they were they only two people in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

“Ugh, this is exhausting,” Ruby flopped down on the couch next to Emma.

The two bands were gathered in The Royal’s bus, trying to figure out what covers to play at their next few shows. Both bands had a very selective taste, and it seemed like they had played almost every song that both bands liked.

“Relax,” Zelena rolled her eyes at the brunette’s dramatics, “we just need a few more songs to finish up the tour.”

“Yeah,” Ruby groaned, “but we’ve already done everything.”

“If you guys are so tired of doing covers,” Ursula spoke up from her spot at the small table, “why don’t we just write a song.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Regina mulled the thought over in her head, “If we do make a new song, we won’t have to worry about choosing any more covers because everyone will just want us to play the new one.”

“Do you think we can get it done in time for the next show?” Mary Margaret questioned.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Emma stated, “let’s get crackin.”

Over the course of the next two days, as the bands traveled to their next destination, they spent all their time trying to come up with the perfect song. They had decided right away that the song should be something that showed off their friendship, something that gave off a message that they were much better together than they were apart. Regina and Mary Margaret wrote the lyrics that would speak to people, Zelena, Ruby, Cruella, and David worked on creating the perfect mixture of chords to move the listeners, and Emma and Ursula put together a beat that people wouldn’t be able to not dance to. At the end of their sound check, the group showed off their new song to their managers, receiving the approval they needed to play it later that night.

“You nervous?” Emma walked up to Regina who was peeking at the crowd from behind the curtain.

Regina shook her head, “Not really.”

“Well good. The song is awesome. They’re gonna love it, and if they don’t, screw em.”

Regina laughed, turning around and wrapping her arms around the drummer’s neck, “How eloquently put.”

Emma gave a cocky grin, sliding her arms around the brunette’s waist, “I have been told that I have quite a way with words.”

Regina hummed in agreement, leaning up to press her lips to Emma’s. The two pulled apart when they heard a wolf whistle.

“Get it Swan!”

“Shut up Lucas!”

“Why don’t you make me dweeb!”

“Who ya callin a dweeb, loser?”

“Not this again,” Cruella rolled her eyes at their antics, “We need to get on stage and start the show. You can finish that later.”

The group chuckled at Emma and Ruby’s matching pouts, and made their way to their instruments. David and Mal nodded at each other, coming in together as the curtain rose. The crowd went wild. Much like the two bands, their fanbases had grown close over the time they were on tour. The crowd which had once been two very distinctive groups of fans, had meshed together as one group who just enjoyed the music. At the end of the concert, the crowd began screaming song titles, expecting the bands to choose a song to play.

Regina smiled at the enthusiastic crowd, “I know you guys were hoping to pick the last song of the night, but we’ve got a surprise for you, that we hope you’ll like.”

The crowd went silent, not knowing what to expect from the musicians. Emma pointed one of her drum sticks at Ursula before tapping out a quick three beats on her bass drum, the signal for both drummers and the guitar players to start the song. Once Zelena came in and Regina and Mary Margaret started singing, the crowd realized what was going on and went wild. The two singers ended the song with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Thank you everyone!” Regina shouted into the microphone, “We are The Queens of Darkness!”

“And we are The Royals!” Mary Margaret smiled at the crowd.

“Goodnight!”

The singers took a bow as the curtain went down. Once they were hidden from the crowd, the two bands erupted in cheers and began hugging one another. With the rush of the crowd’s cheers running through the musicians’ veins, everyone felt like they were on top of the world.

* * *

Regina hurried down the hallway, trying not to get caught on her way back to her room. She had accidentally fallen asleep in Emma’s hotel room after they stayed up late talking. As soon as she was inside her room, Regina let out a sigh of relief.

“Look who just got home.”

Regina jumped, turning to find her sister sitting at the small table by the window, sipping on a cup of tea.

“Geez Zelena, do you always have to scare me like that?”

Zelena feigned innocence, “I don’t know what you’re talking about baby sis.”

Regina rolled her eyes at her sister, and made her way into the bathroom to shower and change.

“Oh yeah,” Zelena said offhandedly, “Mom stopped by, she wants to talk to you.”

Regina froze halfway to the bathroom.

“What does she want to talk to be about?”

Zelena shrugged, “I don’t know. Not Emma if that’s what you’re thinking. I mean, you guys are constantly making out with each other, but I don’t think she’s ever seen you. It’s probably nothing.”

Regina nodded and made her way into the bathroom. After a quick shower and a fresh set of clothes, Regina made her way to her mother’s hotel room. Once in front of the door, Regina took a breath and knocked.

Cora opened the door, “Regina! I’m glad you could make it, come in.”

Regina furrowed her eyebrows, confused with her mother’s businesslike tone. As she stepped into the room, she saw the reason for her mother’s behavior. There was a boy, not much older than her, sitting on the couch with a glass of water in his hand. When he saw Regina, he smiled and stood up, placing the glass on the coffee table in front of him.

“This,” Cora put her hand on Regina’s back, nudging her towards the stranger, “is Robin.”

“Hello,” Regina plastered on her press smile and stuck her hand out towards Robin.

The scruffy looking boy shook her hand, “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m a really big fan.”

“He’s new to the label and happened to be in town today. I thought you could maybe keep him company.”

Regina knew what her game her mother was playing, she had done this a few times in the past with Mal and Ursula. A good looking boy, a small fling that would be heavily photographed by paparazzi, and bump up for both his and her statuses. Regina knew she could decline her mother’s offer, and she wouldn’t be upset, but if she did turn the boy away that might raise suspicion. It was safer to just go out with the boy a couple of times, and take whatever rumors the media was going to make up about them.

“I’d love to mother,” Regina answered, sealing her fate.

* * *

Emma sighed as she flipped through the stations on the t.v., it had been a quiet couple of days. The only times she saw Regina were during sound check, and during their concerts because Cora kept whisking the singer away during their free time. Emma really didn’t mind that Regina was busy, but she kept getting the feeling like she was missing something. The couple of times she had tried talking to the brunette had been cut short with excuses of having to take care of some kind of business. If she didn’t know any better, Emma would have thought that they were right back where they started, but that was an idea she didn’t like to dwell on very much. Emma flipped to another station, and paused when she saw the reporter who always interviewed them.

“The singer was spotted cozying up to Hollywood’s newest hunk, folk singer Robin Hood.”

Emma rolled her eyes, that woman was always spreading some kind of gossip.

“Here are exclusive pictures of the new couple.”

Emma froze, remote halfway up in her attempt to change the channel. The screen had gone from the snooty reporter to a picture of Regina walking with some guy, their arms linked together. Emma quickly sat up, scooting to the edge of the seat. The picture changed to the two holding each other as they watched the sunset. Emma felt her stomach drop. The picture changed again to Regina and the guy kissing each other. Having seen enough, Emma turned the t.v. off, confused as to what she just saw. Sure, her and Regina weren’t officially dating, but she was sure it was headed in that direction. That was until now.

* * *

Later that night, after they finished the concert, the two bands rushed off stage, eager to finally get some food and drinks into their system. The group was talking and joking, passing around the burgers and fries Granny and Cora had delivered to them. Emma passed the food up, choosing instead to sit by herself and look through her phone. By now, the feelings of confusion and hurt she had been feeling, had turned into anger.

“Great show everyone,” Granny smiled at the group of musicians.

“Don’t eat too much, and try to get to bed at a decent hour,” Cora instructed, “Oh, and don’t forget the buses are taking off at six a.m. sharp, so don’t be late.”

With that, the managers made their way out of the room, and toward their bus.

“What’s up with you Em? You’re usually the first to grab food after a show,” Ruby plopped on the couch that was next to Emma’s chair, a burger in her hand.

Emma shrugged, not looking up from her phone, “Not hungry I guess.”

“That’s a first,” Regina teased the blonde as she sat on the armrest of the chair, reaching for Emma’s hand.

Emma yanked her arm away from the brunette and stood up.

Regina frowned, “What’s your problem?”

“My problem,” Emma seethed, “My problem is that you ignore me for days, go out and get yourself a boyfriend, and don’t tell me! I had to find out from some trashy gossip show!”

The room went silent, everyone had their eyes on Regina and Emma. Regina stood up, putting her food down and taking a step towards Emma.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Oh no? Okay, well if it’s not what it looks like, then I guess it’s all alright,” Emma threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

“Emma just calm down please, I can explain.”

“Well than explain it to me please. Explain why you won’t even hold my hand if your mother is anywhere near us. Explain why you wouldn’t tell any of our friends that we were together. Explain why I’m your dirty little secret, and that guy gets to show you to the world. Explain why I’m not good enough for you. Please, cause I’d really like to know.”

Emma felt the tears welling up in her eyes, and silently cursed herself. She hated crying in public, it made her feel weak, made her feel like the little orphan with no family that used to get teased on a daily basis. Emma shook her head at Regina’s silence, and wiped her tears.

“You know what, whatever. We were just fooling around right? Nothing official or anything. I’m so over this.”

“Wait, Emma don’t.”

Emma turned and left the room, ignoring the brunette’s protests. Emma couldn’t help but blame herself, she should have known better than to trust someone who claimed to care about her.

* * *

Over the next week, Regina tried her best to make it up to Emma. While she had managed to convince the other members of The Royals that she hadn’t meant to hurt her, Emma still refused to listen. The blonde had avoided Regina all week, never looking at her once, even during sound check and their concerts when they had to be in the same place. It was the final day of the tour, and Regina had given up hope of patching up her relationship with Emma.

“I for one think she’s being a little unreasonable,” Cruella said as The Queens of Darkness put the finishing touches on their makeup, “So you kissed someone. You guys weren’t dating.”

“She has the right to feel whatever she wants to feel,” Regina sighed, “It doesn’t matter anyway. The tour’s over tonight. Whatever was going on between us wasn’t going to last past tonight.”

“Alright ladies,” Cora popped her head into the room, “Showtime!”

The girls followed their manager out of the room. As Zelena passed her sister, she bumped her shoulder slightly.

“Lying about your feelings won’t solve anything.”

Regina knew her sister was right. Her and Emma had something amazing, something that words couldn’t describe. When she was with the blonde, Regina felt like she was completely herself, there was no expectation to meet or rules to abide by. She was free.

All throughout the show, Regina couldn’t help but glance over at Emma. The blonde still wouldn’t look at her, but she seemed less angry than the previous few shows. Once they played their final song and thanked the audience, the bands began to make their way off stage.

“Before I go, I’d like to share something with you all.”

Regina turned around to find Emma still on stage, standing at Mary Margaret’s microphone. She turned to look at the musicians around her who all looked equally confused. On stage, one of the members of their crew brought Emma an acoustic guitar and a stool. The blonde sat down, putting the strap of the guitar around her neck, and adjusting the microphone to proper height.

The crowd was silent as she spoke again, “Over the past few years the stage has been like a second home for me. It’s a place where I can be honest with myself and bare my soul through music. I know I usually sit way in the back and bang on my drum set, but tonight I’d like to take a chance and be honest with myself and all of you. This is a song I wrote about having to let go of someone you care about, even when all you want to do is hold on.”

Emma looked back, catching Regina’s eye. In that moment, everything else faded away except for the two of them. Emma turned back around and began strumming the guitar, a beautiful, but sad melody coming from the instrument. When she finally opened her mouth to sing, her voice was filled with longing and pain. The lyrics expressed Emma’s feelings of loneliness and regret. By the end of the song, there wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium.

Emma strummed the last cords, letting the last line of the song slip from her mouth, “Sometimes the memories are worth the pain.”

Without saying another word, Emma got up from her seat, made her way to where the rest of the bands were standing. She gave Regina one last, sad smile before walking out the door, and away from the woman who owned her heart.

* * *

The audience buzzed with excitement. The night had just begun, and there was so much to look forward to. Two bands in particular stood out amongst the long list of talented musicians up for awards. The Royals and The Queens of Darkness were nominated for best collaboration, a feat that would have been considered impossible just a few short months ago.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Emma shook her head, trying to shake the nerves away.

Mary Margaret rubbed her friend’s back, “Relax Emma, it’s just an award, it’ll be okay if we don’t win it.”

“It’s not the award.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s Regina,” Ruby butted in.

Emma nodded, trying her best, and failing, not to think of the brunette. She hadn’t seen or spoken to the older girl in a little over a month, since their tour had ended. While she had been so angry at first, her anger wore off and all that was left behind was a deep sense of missing Regina. It was almost ridiculous how attached Emma had grown to Regina in the short amount of time they spent together.

Across the theater, The Queens of Darkness were facing a similar problem.

“Breathe Regina, it’s just Emma,” Mal attempted to calm her friend down.

Regina gave the older girl an incredulous look, “Just Emma?”

“I know you’re all head over heels for her, or whatever, but she’s just one person. In fact, she’s probably just as nervous to see you.”

“I doubt that,” Regina scoffed, shaking her head.

On the other side of Regina, Zelena laughed at her phone and typed out a quick text. Mal leaned across the brunette and smacked the keyboard player.

“What are you doing? Can’t you tear your eyes away from your phone for one second to help your sister out?”

“Oh, leave her alone,” Ursula called from the end of the row, “She’s under the spell of a blossoming new romance, Cruella and I used to do that all the time.”

“Yeah, well she could save all the mushy talk for later, and help me prevent this one from hyperventilating.”

“No, it’s okay,” Regina reassured her friend, “How is Ruby?”

Zelena beamed at her sister, “She’s doing good. A little tired lately, but that’s nothing new.”

Since their tour ended, the two bands hadn’t had the chance to spend any time together. Almost every day was filled with interviews, photoshoots, and the occasional performance. None of their off days lined up, but the young adults still managed to keep in touch. Mary Margaret and Mal emailed book suggestions, Cruella and Ursula tweeted fashion articles to David, and Ruby and Zelena talked or texted one another every day. The only ones that hadn’t spoken to each other were Emma and Regina, both scared they had messed up their relationship too much to still be allowed in the other’s life. Now, if the fates willed it, they would have to come face to face with one another again.

_This is ridiculous._

Ruby looked down at the message that popped up on her phone and typed back.

_What? This conversation?_

_No, this conversation is lovely. I meant those clowns on stage._

Ruby looked up and grimaced. She had to agree with Zelena, the presenters seemed to be going out of their way to try to make people laugh, making all their jokes a bit too forced.

_The one about the wolf was funny._

_It was tolerable at best._

Ruby smiled, picturing the deadpanned expression that was probably on the older girl’s face. Another message popped up on her screen.

_This one’s a mess. How’s yours doing?_

Ruby looked over at Emma. The blonde was bouncing her leg up and down while she looked around the room.

_She looks like she’s searching for the nearest exit._

Ruby smiled down at the laughing face Zelena sent. Then the next message that was just filled with hearts.

_Just wanted to remind you that I heart you._

_Aww I heart you too Z!_

“It’s time!”

Mary Margaret squealed causing Ruby to look up. She hadn’t even realized that the most of the night was over, with only a few more awards left to give out. Up next was the best collaboration award. Ruby grinned, she was almost certain that they were going to win.

“The winner for Best Collaboration is… You’re Not Alone by The Royals and The Queens of Darkness!”

The crowd erupted into applause and cheering. Both bands jumped up in delight, and made their way to the stage. As the two groups were given their award, they all exchanged hugs. In the excitement, Regina and Emma found themselves in an embrace, but quickly let go when they realized who they were hugging. Emma gave Regina a small smile, then moved on to hug Ursula. Once they thanked everyone they needed to, the two bands moved backstage in a bustle of excitement.

“It’s so good to see you guys!” Mary Margaret exclaimed.

Mal smiled at the shorter girl, “You too, it’s been way too long.”

As they fell into a conversation, Ursula and Cruella began talking to David about all the good and bad things about his outfit, while Zelena and Ruby found themselves a quiet corner to catch up in. Feeling someone’s eyes on her, Regina turned to find Emma staring at her, a little smile on her face.

“Hey,” Regina walked over to the blonde.

“Hey, yourself.”

“You look amazing.”

“So do you,” Emma smiled, “You always do.”

Regina’s cheeks flushed, “You don’t mean that.”

“Of course I do, Regina, you’re gorgeous.”

The sound of laughter drew the pair’s attention to the corner where Zelena and Ruby stood together, hands intertwined, wide smiles on their faces.

“Who would have thought those two would end up together,” Regina motioned her head in their direction.

“I could see it.”

“Really?”

Emma shrugged, “Yeah, they were the only ones who spent as much time together as you and me. Plus, there was all those times they went to ‘borrow’ each other’s shoes when we all know they don’t have the same size feet and grabbing a pair of shoes doesn’t take two hours.”

Regina and Emma laughed, then there was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other, drinking in the other’s presence that they had been missing.

“You know,” Regina said slowly, “I never got a chance to tell you how much I liked your song. It was really beautiful.”

“Thanks, I had a great muse.”

Regina opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, she heard a voice shout her name. Turning to the source of the noise, she saw Robin walking toward her.

Robin wrapped his arms around her tightly, “Congratulations! I knew your song would kill it”

The boy let go of Regina and turned to Emma, “You too, that song has a sick beat.”

Emma smiled tightly, “Thanks. Congrats to you too for the Best New Artist thing. If you’ll excuse me I have to go.”

Robin nodded, grinning wide, oblivious to the blonde’s stiff demeanor.

Once Emma was outside, she let out a deep breath. Seeing Regina again brought back all the feelings that she had tried to repress. All she wanted to do was grab the brunette and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. Emma thought things were going well between them until Mr. Folk Singer showed up. She might be a stubborn person, but even Emma knew when the fight was over; there was no use trying to win Regina back if she was happy with someone else. Emma cared too much about the older girl to put her through any more emotional distress.

“Emma!”

Emma was halfway through the parking lot when she heard her name being called. She turned around to find Regina running towards her. The brunette stopped just short of crashing into the blonde.

“Did you mean it?," Regina asked slightly out of breath.

Emma blinked back in confusion, “Did I mean what?”

“Your song.”

“My song?”

“Yes, your song. In your song, you said the memories were worth the pain, that you would do this all over again, even if you still got hurt. Did you mean it?”

“Yeah. Yes, I meant it. And I still do. You’re worth every moment of heartache.”

Regina smiled, “That’s why I choose you.”

Emma tilted her head to the side, smiling slightly, “You choose me?”

Regina took Emma’s hands, “My whole life, I’ve tried to do what others expect of me. I’ve tried to make other people happy. My mother, my band, my fans. That’s why I agreed to go out with Robin. I thought it’s what the world would have wanted.”

“And now you don’t think that?”

“No,” Regina shook her head, “I still think the world would probably like him and me together, we do make quiet the attractive couple.”

Emma frowned.

“But here’s the thing,” Regina lowered her voice and leaned in towards Emma, “I don’t care what the world wants anymore. Doing what other people want me to do has caused enough grief in my life. From now on I’m only going to do the things I want. And you’re what I want Emma. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life, and that’s the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Emma sighed softly, “Look Regina, I can’t promise you that we’ll be together forever, or that we’ll always be happy, or that I’m going to be this perfect partner all the time.”

“I know you can’t Emma, that’s not what I’m asking for.”

“Just listen. I can’t promise that this relationship is going to be easy. But I can promise that I will laugh at your jokes, even when they’re not funny. That I’ll stargaze with you, any night you want me to. That I’ll hold your hands when they get cold. That I’ll cherish every smile and every hug you give. That I’ll be true to you as long as we’re together. I can’t promise you a perfect relationship, all I can promise you is my love.”

Regina’s eyes filled with tears of joy. She threw her arms around Emma’s neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

“I love you Emma Swan,” Regina spoke softly, pressing her forehead to the blonde’s.

“I love you Regina Mills.”

The two leaned in for another kiss, only to be interrupted by the loud cheers of their bandmates.

“The love birds are back!” Ruby yelled.

Mary Margaret squealed and threw her arms around the two, squeezing tight, “I’m so glad you two made up. Ooh, now you can go on double dates with David and me!”

“Um excuse you,” Zelena broke in, “my baby sister, means I get first dibs on double dates.”

Emma rolled her eyes at the two older girls. Reaching down, Regina grabbed the blonde’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Emma looked over and smiled at Regina. This was definitely a feeling she could get used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this! Please feel free to leave any comments here, or message me on my tumblr h-ollstei-n. Hope you enjoyed!


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